Blog

Our decision to come to live in France on our retirement was based upon our experiences of having a holiday home here for several years. Our relatively frequent visits enabled us to appreciate the gentle lifestyle of the local people, their natural friendliness and the beautiful countryside. However we quickly became aware of the primary obstacle to a fuller enjoyment of this life – the...

Our decision to come to live in France on our retirement was based upon our experiences of having a holiday home here for several years. Our relatively frequent visits enabled us to appreciate the gentle lifestyle of the local people, their natural friendliness and the beautiful countryside. However we quickly became aware of the primary obstacle to a fuller enjoyment of this life – the...

My Life In France
Myself and my family have lived in France for three years now and enjoy our life here. We had often talked about retiring to France and were tentatively looking for another home to purchase across the English Channel. We did not have any plans to re-locate the family at that time. However, due to certain circumstances, we had the opportunity to move ourselves to France...

It all began in 1998 when the world cup was being televised and the cameras panned around the French countryside. This was where the games were being played. My husband turned to me and said he would like to visit France for a holiday. Well the rest is history because we came; we saw, and fell in love.
By October we had seen a house that my husband was going to make in to our very own...

The expression is: “I love France but can’t stand the French.” After centuries of competition – it used to be war – these two neighbouring countries both believe they are superior to each other. Britain used to say “no” to joining the Common Market. France says “no” to anything which could change their traditional way of life. Like the...

If you have or intend to settle in France you will need to be able to communicate.You will have lots of questions and will need to understand the answers.
French administration is difficult and onerous; the Mairie of your commune can be very helpful in smoothing your path. In a small place make friends with the secretary who may do most of the work for you!
The best way to learn French is to...

Walking holidays enticed us to different parts of France and circumstances resulted in our move to the Cevennes three years ago. We knew the climate was sunny, the scenery spectacular, the environment largely unspoiled, the local history fascinating. We experienced many cultural differences and liked what we found.
This continues as we feel comfortable in our village where everyone recognised...